1938-12-28 — Page 18

THE HONGKONG Telegraph, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1988.

? *: '

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CHRISTMAS LASTS FOR TWELVE DAYS

T

HE "Twelve Days of

Christmas"

is &

phrase which, Wo have almost forgotten to- day. Yet Christmas itself is only part of the great feast of Yule, which ex- tands from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night (January G.) Here and there in the more remote parts of the CARS-country memories of this

still survive.

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In Cornwall, the fisherfolk of St. Ives and the neighbouring villages go Guise Dancing. At night the streets are invaded by

Hongkong Hotel partics of young people attired

Garage

Phone 27770/0

Whe

Stubbs Rd.

Hongkong Telegraph.

in grotesque costume. The boys are usually dressed as girls and the girls as boys, some of them presenting historical charac- ters, others merely disguised with blackened faces.

To see them dancing at the street corners to the sound of concertina and drum, one might be watching some Italian carnival were it not for the mid-

Wyndham St., Hongkong winter sky overhead.

'Phone 26615

December 28, 1938

the

UNTIL recently

guise dancers in Corn. War on the Defensive wall, as elsewhere, used to act the traditional play of "St.

by "Old

generally Father

ONCE MORE the initiative in Ceorge and the Dragon." Many the Sino-Japanese War passes versions of this are found all from the hands of Japan to the over Britain, but the principal Chinese. Only in the air and "characters" are the same in all. on the sea does Japan now ap-The party Was pear to hold undisputed away. introduced She has used the former to Christmas." launch an almost unprecedented campaign of terror on Chinese Stepping out from the half- cities and towns, the latter to circle of players assembled in tighten a blockade that, to all the big friendly kitchens of the intents and purposes, has the farm-houses, he proclaimed: subjugation of 470,000,000 Here comes 1, nki Father Christ- people by starvation as its

mas, welcome or welcome not. objective. This naval blockade, I do hope old Father Christmas will about which so little, is said, may one day prove a decisive factor in the war, as a similar blockade did twenty years ago, China, remember, cannot feed itself, but must import vast quantities of rice and other

never be forgot.

you don't b'lieve what I do say, Come in, St. George, and clear the

2001.

A resplendent St. George was followed by the sombre figure

foods from the outside world of the Turkish Knight, and his costumes still parade the town into the darkness. The clavie is

THE Twelve Days of Christmas culminate

at Haxey, in Lincolnshire, with an extraordinary game called. "Throwing the Hood," which has been played there for more than six hundred years. On the afternoon of January 6 the men, of the five rival hamlets which form the parish assemble on a bleak hilltop overlooking the Fens. The leader of the game, called the "Lord," is dressed in a scarlet tunic with a Morris dancer's top hat decorated with flowers. Round him he places his twelve red-Jersied "boggins" to form a hundred-yard circle-- as if for rounders.

Then, taking a "hood," which is made of a tightly fastened roll of sacking, about two feet long, he chants the formula:

Hoor again hoos, toon again toon, If a Man meet a man knock a

a Man down

-But don't hurt himt

and hurls it into the air. In a moment the crowd is on it, each man striving to capture the hood and escape with it, past the boggins, to his own village.

IN this way the

game

goes on for an hour. Then comes the "sway." Ima- gine a giant football scrum com- posed of a hundred men locked immovably over an unseen ball and you have some idea of what this is.

Bit by bit the weaker side is driven down the hill, contesting every inch, for "luck" goes to the winners. At last, without need of referee or whistle, the pressure slackens, the acrum breaks up-and another of Haxey's hood games has come. to an end.

A.K. H. Jenkins

WOMAN

China fares better on land companion the Dragon. After on New Year's Night carrying finally demolished whilst still NEED

and it seems evident from the a great deal of boasting and pans of blazing tar upon their burning, and the crowd rush to news of the past few days that country wit, a fight takes place heads. Led by a band, they seize the glowing embers, which

large-scale attacks are begin-in which the Turkish Knight is gather in the market place, are thought to bring good luck, NOT TELL

the Japanese are still where

1

This centuries-old rule of law was

refused

ning both in Kwangtung and knocked out by St. George, where a huge bonfire is lighted. The same idea of good luck Honan. What influence these Then in comes the Doctor. With offensives will have upon the his magic medicine he resurrects on the Moray Firth, the fire of Wassailing.

Further north, at Burghead underlies the New Year custom A WIDOW cannot be com- campaign and how much terri- the "Turkey Snipe" and the festival appears again in

On January 7 pelled to disclose statements tory China will be able to wrest battle is renewed.

the villagers of Carhampton in made to her by her husband back from Japan remains to be,

ceremony called "Burning the Somerset carry into the orch- during their marriage. Clavie." This takes place on into which roasted apples have ards a milk pan full of cider Been. It is two months since Canton and Hankow fell, and;

January 11, which is Hogmanay been broken. Each man fills his upheld in the Chancery Division re or New Year's Eve-old style. they were then on all fronta. BUT once again St.

The "Clavie" is manufactured mug and after drinking some of cently, when Mr. Justice Simonds The Japanese have made re-

an application by Mrs. George

out of a tar barrel with odd bits the cider throws the rest at the Florence Annie Shenton, who wished peated efforts to add to their champion, the Turkish Knight is of wood, and is lighted from a trees, at the same time shouting to deliver interrogatories to Mru- gains, to consolidate their exist-slain and he, and the Dragon, burning peat-no other method aloud to scare away evil spirits. Edith Lilinn Tyler, widow of Mr.

Sometimes one of the roasted

Eximund Deeble Tyler, to sub- ing seizures. But they are are dragged off the stage by may be used.

apples or a piece of bread which left his widow about £70,000 subject stantiate her claim that Mr. Tyler hampered, firstly, by a with-"Old Beelzebub." As a roward It is afterwards carried with has been soaked in the cider, is to drawal of troops that is almost for his valour, St. George (in much ceremony to a neighbour- placed in the trees to encourage Mrs. Shenton £2 a week during her promise that she would pay sensational in character, second-some versions) is given the hand ing hillock where fresh fuel is the good spirits to ensure a

lifetime. ly, by weather conditions which of Princess Sabra, the King of added, and the flames shoot high bountiful crop.

The addresses of the parties in the for the next five months will Egypt's daughter, in marriage!

caso

were not disclosed. favour the defenders, thirdly,

Mr.

proves the

This ancient mummers' play:

by the birth of new confidence is still acted at Christmas time GRIN AND BEAR IT

in China.

Time Marches On

In some of the villages of Hamp- shire. The playera here are farm labourers, and wear a

ON FRONTS hundreds of miles traditional costume consisting of apart, Japanese divisions area Norman helmet and something menaced by irregular forces resembling a coat of mail. Their who harass their communica- faces are hidden by fluttering tions and often receive support strips of wall-paper which hang sufficient to provoke major down over their clothing and battles.

give them a wild appearance. Japan has already thrown a

As one meets them trudging million men into this struggle, through the lanes, they look China three times that number, more like a troop of dancers Japan claims that China's losses transplanted from the jungle are staggering, her own in-than sober English countrymen. finitesimal. On the other hand,

There is

For hundreds of years the Japan has dipped dangerously play has been associated with into the reserves of man-power | St. George, the Patron Saint of she must keep at home and in England; yet the "plot" is Manchuria against a possible probably far older than any of conflict with Russia, Chinese the "characters." reserves of man-power are in-little doubt that it dates from exhaustible and, in fact, are an before the time of Christianity, embarrassment because of lack and that the slaying of the, of arms. Dr. Sun Fo, President Turkish Knight and the victory of the Legislative Yuan, recent-of St. George originally sym- ly claimed that by the middle bolised the defeat of Winter and of 1939 China will have an and the triumph of Spring. armed army of 10,000,000 men

in the field. Cut that numberi The "Twelve Days" was also by fifty per cent, oven, and the a fire festival. Everywhere total is formidable and some throughout Europe, great bon- thing for Japan to ponder over. fires were lighted at this time The war has by no means to encourage the mid-winter sun reached a decisive phase, and to regain its power. timo la certainly on the side of China.

At Allendale, in Northumber- land, twenty-four men in quainti

Roger Turnbull, for Mrs. Shenton, sald her case was that Mr. Tyler communicated to his wife his that she should pay to Mrs."

By Lichtyton £2 a week during her life-

"Her mother picked him, but she put her foot down and insisted on picking the gown!"

time.

PAYMENTS. STOPPED

Mrs. Tyler, it was alleged, gave him such a promise.

Mrs. Shenton received the pay- ments until March, 1937, when they were discontinued, The question was, what steps could be taken to compel Mrs. Tyler to disclose the alleged bargain in which the husband said: "If you will pay the lady this weekly sum I will let you have my residuary estate."

Mr. Turnbull contended that the rule of common law which said that no wife should be compellable to dis- close any communication made to her by her husband during marriage had no application to a widow,

SACRED CONFIDENCES Mr. G. D. Johnston, for Mrs.. Tyler, said it was an absolute rule of law that no husband or wife could be compelled to disclose any com.. munication made during marriage. It would be detrimental to the court. to disclose sacred confidences be- tween husband and

wife.

Mr. Justice Simanda said that in her defence to the action Mrs. Tyler denied that any such wish was expressed by her husband, or pro- mise made. Mrs. Shenton sought to establish her case by Interrogating Mrs. Tyler.

A widow always was an admissible witness, us was a woman who was divorced but, whether a widow or a divorced woman, she was not com- pellable or admissible as a witness In regard to matters which had passed between herself and her hus band during the married state.